By Laurie Schmitt

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” ~Matthew 23:27

Woe to the scribes and Pharisees! Woe to the Pharisee in me!

It’s easy to look at today’s Gospel and put a face on the Pharisee, and of course, it’s not our own.

Know thyself

“Know thyself.” This, the simple and profound wisdom of the ancient Greeks, still applies in our modern world. Have we taken a super-close look at what we are hiding in our own hearts? Like whitewashed sepulchers, have we glossed over ourselves, justifying our sins and bad habits? While patting our back, we applaud ourselves. What are we hiding from others, and what do we think we are hiding from our all-knowing, all-loving, always present God? What are we harboring within the depths of our soul? Grudges? Bitterness? Unorgiveness for others and for ourselves? God forgives us. We need to do that, too.

Integrity

Be honest. Stop pretending. Our Lord requires our exterior actions to be in line with our interior intention of loving and serving Him. I like to think of this as integrity — the interior grit which shows not so much what you are made of, but Who you are made by and for. Be who you are made to be and glorify God.

Prayer:

Dear God, make me more like You!

Call to Action:

It’s time to get busy, cleaning out the cobwebbed corners of our souls. There are several things we can employ, such as taking time to ponder the gospel message and apply it in our everyday living. Also, the importance of a daily examen can’t be underestimated. Set aside time every day to pause and pray, asking yourself, “How is it going today? When did I feel closer to God? Where have I failed Him? When did I rise up to Christ’s expectation, and where did I fall?”

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